


Blood Is Thicker Than Water

by WereKitte



Series: Kitte's Vermish Ramblings [3]
Category: The Order (TV 2019)
Genre: F/M, Hamish's parents, Unwanted Blind Date
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-25
Updated: 2020-08-03
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:14:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25501201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WereKitte/pseuds/WereKitte
Summary: Hamish Duke was a disappointment.  The high school valedictorian who’d given up his dream of going to law school.  The career student with no goal in life.  Life would be so much easier if he could just tell them the truth about everything.  But telling them that he didn’t want a wife or children, because he didn’t want to leave them alone when he inevitably died young because he was a werewolf was a non-option.  So once again, he lied.
Relationships: Hamish Duke/Vera Stone
Series: Kitte's Vermish Ramblings [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1840669
Comments: 44
Kudos: 87





	1. The Dukes

**Author's Note:**

> Spent the last couple days jotting down ideas and rough outlines for five or six more stories! Gah, so much for avoiding writing more fanfiction. haha. Now I just need to write them out. This one will be 3 or 4 chapters. I'll decide as write and see how it flows.
> 
> The title for this one comes from the full quote, "The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb", meaning that the blood soldiers shed together forms a stronger bond than the bond of the family you were born into. It felt fitting to me.

Leave it to Paul and Celia Duke to cut short a Caribbean vacation in the middle of winter. A full week short, at that. Hamish rushed up the steps to his apartment, already dreading the coming confrontation. It was the way this always went. Normally, he would make an attempt to move back in a couple days before their arrival, so that the place actually appeared lived in. Otherwise it just led to uncomfortable conversations about where he was and what he was doing with his life. As if there weren’t already enough of those particular discussions.

Walking into the apartment, Hamish wasn’t entirely surprised to find his father in the kitchen, already pouring himself a scotch, or for his mother to exit his bedroom a moment later. There was a time when he would have been upset by her snooping but those days were long past. His life wasn’t here anymore. Everything important to him was kept at the Den, under the protection of a pack of werewolves that nobody would try sneaking around. Not that his mother tried to hide her actions…

“Hamish, darling. Where have you been? It’s been ages.” Celia Duke was largely responsible for her son’s eccentricities, as evidenced by her own classic evening gown. His mother had often fretted over being born into such a time as this, when the world lacked the class and sophistication of some romanticized age long ago. Hamish had received his first set of cufflinks as a toddler. A series of carefully chosen private schools had ensured that the dress code was not humiliated out of him at a young age. 

"Sorry, I was working on a project for class,” Hamish fibbed. It was as close to the truth as he could get. “I wasn’t expecting you home so soon.”

“But it’s so late?” his mother questioned.

“It’s a group project. We have to coordinate times and there’s a lot of conflicting schedules.” It scared him how easily the lies came these days. Once there had been a time when lying to his parents would have been inconceivable.

“Your classes are going well this year?” she asked, giving an encouraging little nod of her head.

“What’s the point, Celia?” his father grumbled. “We all know in another year or two, he’ll be studying Art History or some other worthless degree.”

“I’m working on my Masters in Philosophy, Father,” Hamish sighed.

Paul gave him an unimpressed look. “Exactly. And when you’re finished with that, you’ll realize you need to try something else, yet again.”

“Paul,” Celia chastised, not unkindly.

Paul shrugged it off, unperturbed. “I’m just saying.” He looked up at Hamish, raising his hands in mock surrender. “At least consider Finance. Maybe you’d get lucky playing the stock market.”

It wasn’t anything Hamish hadn’t heard before. He’d been getting the same disappointed looks since he’d told them he wasn’t going to pursue law school after all. And while he was happy with philosophy and could easily see himself pursuing his doctorate, he hadn’t immediately settled on his second choice degree, a delay that rankled his lawyer father even further.

His mother plastered on a false smile, uncomfortable as always with this argument between her two boys. “Enough of this unpleasantness,” she said sweetly. “Hamish, dear. Tell us, is there anything new in your life? A girl, perhaps?”

For a brief moment, Hamish worried that she’d found some scrap of evidence in her snooping, before remembering that Vera had never been to the apartment. This was just more wishful thinking on his mother’s behalf. Hamish, the screw up. Couldn’t decide what he wanted to do with his life. Couldn’t even settle down with a nice girl and pop out babies for his parents to spoil. A grand disappointment, all around.

Too bad he had zero intentions of telling them about Vera Stone. Vera was an amazing, strong, fascinating woman. She was everything they could have asked for in a partner for him. She was also older and, while that wasn’t a problem for him, his heir obsessed parents weren’t likely to view it the same way. Besides, his relationship with Vera was tangled in Order secrecy and that was just one more problem he didn’t want to have to explain away.

“I’m not dating, no. Overall, things haven’t really changed lately.” Lie. Flat out, blatant lie. If only he could tell them how much everything had changed this year. If only they could talk like they used to. But how do you tell your parents you gave up all your dreams to become a magical vigilante. He hadn’t known how to say it before and now that the wolves were part of the Order, Vera would probably kill him if he told.

As expected, his mother sighed heavily. “You haven’t dated seriously since that Cathy girl. Don’t you think it’s time to move past it? I know, it’s terrible what happened and I’m sorry you lost her, but you can’t hang onto the dead forever. You can find someone else. You just need to open yourself up to the possibility.”

Hamish clenched his jaw. There was never any point in arguing. Nearly a decade since Cassie first came into his life and they still couldn’t even remember her name. She’d been a passing fling to them. They’d never accepted her as his entire world. She hadn’t been good enough, in their eyes, and all these years later, she was barely more than a blip in their memories. They never understood that, for him, Cassie would never fully be in his past. Not when he had a whole pack of young, cocky werewolves to watch out for, each one as unexpectedly vulnerable as Cassie had been.

“Hamish, we’ve tolerated your fooling around for years now,” Paul Duke grumbled. “You could at least meet us part way and consider settling down. You’re not getting any younger.”

“I’m twenty-eight.”

“Exactly. And you’ve got no direction in life. If you don’t hurry up and tie one of them down, the more eligible young ladies will start to realize as much and you’ll miss your chance entirely. Your mother wants grandbabies, son. Preferably while we’re still young enough to enjoy them. And as our only child, you need to start thinking of an heir as well. Unless you want the family fortune to go to that cousin down in Tennessee.”

“West Virginia, Dear,” Celia corrected. “But truly, Hamish, at least consider allowing us to introduce you to some young ladies.”

“You don’t need to go to the trouble, Mom. Truly,” Hamish protested.

“Nonsense. It’s no trouble at all. In fact, I believe a contact of your father’s is in town for the weekend. He’s got an absolutely charming daughter. We should set something up!”

And just like that, Hamish understood why his parents had cut their trip short.

“I’m not interested in a blind date, Mother.”

“It’s not a blind date, Darling. You met once or twice as children, I believe. And your fathers’ know each other quite well. At least try to show a little interest.”

Hamish scowled. This wasn’t the first time his parents had tried to set him up. At least once a year, there’d be some mention of arranging something for him. Two years ago, his mother had even cried that ‘you don’t have to love her, Hamish’. But Hamish couldn’t explain to them why he wasn’t ever planning on marrying, or fathering children. Telling them that he didn’t want a wife or children, because he didn’t want to leave them alone when he inevitably died young because he was a werewolf was a non-option. So once again, he lied.

“This weekend, you say? I’m afraid I won’t have the time. There’s a research project I’m apart of that takes up most of my evenings and weekends.”

“Surely you can spare a few hours for dinner,” his father objected.

“You’ve got to eat, after all,” his mother chimed in.

“We order in,” Hamish explained. “Nobody leaves.” And then, because he knew he needed to go big to get them to buy this ridiculous excuse, he added, “It’s for the Chancellor.” That bit was sort of true, considering the Chancellor of Belgrave and the Grand Magus were the same woman. If this worked, he’d need to let Vera know he was going to be spending a lot of time at the Temple over the weekend. Maybe she could come up with an actual project or two to keep him occupied for a few days.

For once, his parents almost looked impressed. It was an expression he hadn’t seen on them in some time, but then a decade in college and several switched majors could do that to even the most supportive of parents.

“It sounds important. Perhaps another time, then,” his father relented.

Hamish should have known it wouldn’t be that easy…


	2. A Request

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I went back and forth for some time over who's POV to write this one in. Both had different insights. In the end, I settled on Hamish's father since it was just interesting to me, how clueless he is about all the important things in his son's life. Plus, I think we can all picture what Vera's thinking.

Paul Duke hurried across the campus commons, tugging his jacket tighter around his slim frame. He knew his son wouldn’t approve but this was for his future. He would get over it. And Paul couldn’t stand seeing Celia so distraught over their son’s shortcomings. It was time for the boy to grow up.

Paul rehearsed his speech as he neared the administrative buildings. If he could convince a jury of a guilty client’s innocence, he could convince some college official to give his son a day or two off a non-class related project.

He was just reaching the steps when the glass doors swung open and a small, dark haired woman hurried out. She was older than the average student and she didn’t appear to be a parent, so Paul felt comfortable waving her down for directions.

“Excuse me,” he called.

The woman stopped in her tracks. “Yes?”

“Do you happen to know the way to the Chancellor’s office?”

Instantly, the woman plastered on the same false, pleasant smile reminiscent of customer service workers. “It appears you’re in luck. I’m Chancellor Stone. Can I help you?”

Paul was momentarily caught off guard. Hamish had been at Belgrave for so long now, he could admit he hadn’t kept up with the university faculty in years, but he never would have expected to find a relatively young, rather attractive woman to be the current Chancellor.

Before he had time to process the development, Chancellor Stone gave a small, amused huff of laughter and a corner of her red lips tugged upwards. “Please, Mr…?” 

“Duke. Paul Duke,” he supplied.

One brow twitched slightly but she continued. “Mr. Duke, I’m afraid I’ve got somewhere I need to be. You’re welcome to walk with me, or you can make an appointment for a more suitable time.”

“If you don’t mind the company?” He held out a hand, gesturing for her to lead the way. 

With a slight incline of her head, she continued down the steps. “Of course. Now, what is it you’d like to discuss?”

“It’s about my son,” he began.

"I don’t play favorites, Mr. Duke,” she interjected. 

“No, no. Nothing like that. I believe he’s working on a project for you, actually. Hamish Duke?”

She glanced over at him. “Yes. Mr. Duke has been quite the asset to Belgrave.”

Mr. Duke arched a brow then. It wasn’t law school but perhaps his son wasn’t a complete failure, if the Chancellor had taken an interest in him. “I’m certainly glad to hear that. I’m sure you noted from his transcripts that Hamish has…struggled, to find his direction in his schooling.” When the woman shot him an irritated look, he shook his head and moved on. “Anyways, I was hoping you’d be open to giving him this weekend off.”

Chancellor Stone gave him a peculiar look. “I’m not in the habit of granting requests from my student’s parents. They’re all adults. He can make the request himself, if he desires time off.”

“Please, just hear me out.”

The woman looked unconvinced but waved a hand for him to continue.

“Some years back, a girl he cared for died in a car accident. For some unknown reason, he blamed himself. I don’t get it. He wasn’t even in the car. But after that, he fell into a slump and hasn’t managed to pull himself out. He decided not to go to law school, like he’d planned his whole life. He’s changed his degree twice since then. I don’t even know what he intends to do with this one. Epistemology,” he grumbled. “He does nothing with his life. It’s like he’s just given up. I’m not sure he’s even been on a date since that girl died. He’s certainly not had a girlfriend.”

The Chancellor’s brows knitted together in confusion. “And how is a weekend off supposed to solve these problems?”

“A family his mother and I know are in town for the weekend. Michael and I have often discussed introducing our children. It seems a shame to pass up the opportunity, when they’re so near. And Hannah is a lovely girl. She could be good for our boy.”

Paul wasn’t sure whether Ms. Stone was surprised or amused. Her face was passive but there was a glint in her eye that betrayed some unknown emotion. He also wasn’t certain she was at all convinced.

“I’d be happy to make a donation to the school, of course,” he added.

“Of course,” she repeated, with a small, tight smile. “Well, I suppose I can’t argue with that. After all, our little school wouldn’t be what it is without the support of our donors. Can I pencil you in as a regular donor from now on?”

Paul blinked. How much was she hoping for? And what exactly was this project Hamish was a part of? Something big, if he was expected to become a regular donor in exchange for one silly weekend off. He sighed. It wasn’t as if he didn’t have the money. And his wife desperately wanted to see their son settled down, sooner than later. “I’ll have a check prepared today.”

“Excellent,” Chancellor Stone said with a smile. Looking at her, Paul wondered if perhaps Hamish wasn’t enchanted by the Chancellor herself, rather than just a desire to do a job well done. “Was there anything else?”

Before anyone had a chance to say more, they were interrupted by a young man sprinting across the grounds. “Vera!” The boy was calling, even as he skidded to a stop in front of them. “Oh! Sorry,” he apologized upon seeing she was with someone.

The Chancellor looked annoyed. “Mr. Morton,” she hissed.

His eyes got wide for a moment. “Right. Sorry, Chancellor.”

She sighed heavily. “What is it, Mr. Morton?”

The boy looked at Paul, hesitating. “Um, that thing…for the, you know, we think we found something.”

Chancellor Vera Stone pinched the bridge of her nose. “Give me thirty minutes. And gather the others, would you?”

“Of course, G-Chancellor,” he said before scurrying off again.

Paul arched a brow, curious. “Was that for the same project Hamish is working on?” But he knew better than to expect answers either. It would just make things simpler if Hamish’s project was completed by the weekend. He wouldn’t be quite so impatient to get back to it.

The woman shot him a look, as if to say ‘why are you even asking me this?’ She waved a hand dismissively. “Your son has the weekend off. Is there anything else I can do for you?”

“…no,” he said, after a moment’s pause. 

“Then I do have somewhere to be. Have a pleasant evening, Mr. Duke.”

Paul watched her as she hurried off. That woman was something else and she knew it. It was obvious just in the way she walked and carried herself. He would not be surprised at all if Hamish had developed a little crush on the older woman. She was attractive, confident and no nonsense. All admirable qualities in a woman. That girl Hamish was still so hung up on had been similar. A few years older. Pretty, for a townie. And so, so sure of herself. It had rankled Celia endlessly, knowing their son had already chosen his future wife and that she wasn’t the delicate, demure woman she had pictured beside Hamish. 

Paul grunted. That dream was long gone now. They’d both given up any hopes of the successful, prominent lawyer son. But Celia was still clinging to the idea that he could still marry well and produce adorable little babies that would one day run through the family home, bringing endless joy and laughter. It was a pipedream. 

He turned back for his car, ready to break the news to his wife and son. Then Celia could call up the girl and begin making plans and Hamish could begin to accept that he needed to give his mother this one fantasy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be the date. :p It's sort of headed in a direction I hadn't originally intended but hey, it's what the characters are telling me happens. haha.


	3. Unexpected

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took me a lot longer than I expected to write. Probably bc it veered off into a direction I didn't plan for when I first started writing this story. It took a lot more fine tuning than I wanted to get it to flow correctly and I'm still not terribly happy with it but I told myself when I let myself start playing with fanfics again that I was using this as a writing exercise. Just write it up, one draft, post it and let it go. I'm absolutely terrible about editing and reworking a story a thousand times over again so if I'm going to get distracted with Vermish, I may as well make a lesson out of it.
> 
> And ha! I alllllllmost wrote out Vera and Hamish’s conversation regarding the last chapter, but it just didn’t flow. It'll probably get mentioned at some point though.
> 
> Also as a side note, I didn’t write these with a specific time frame in mind. I didn’t get a good feel for how much time passed during season 2 anyways but it felt shorter than season 1. So I’m saying this is vaguely some time shortly after season 2 but any cliffhangers that I need resolved for these stories will have already magically been resolved. Lol. I’m not really looking into writing a full, deep story into how everything got fixed at this point. So basically, just go with the flow.
> 
> Anyways, done with my ramblings! Off to the story!

Vera sold him out for a hefty donation to the university. Hamish shouldn’t have been surprised. The needs of the Order came above all else, even the sanity of her not-quite-a-boyfriend. It was the glint in her eye as she told him to ‘have fun on your date’, along with her tightly pressed lips with just the barest curve, that gave him the impression that she found the entire debacle hilarious. Vera wasn’t the kind of girl who needed to laugh out loud to show her mirth and she had a wicked sense of humor. 

So here he was, waiting with his parents at a table set for six. White tables cloths, dinner jackets, champagne glasses and all. It was not the Blade & Chalice, that was for sure. The oddest part was, as he sat there waiting for his date to arrive, all he could think was that he wanted to bring Vera there some day. He hadn’t even taken her on a real date yet but if he ever could convince her, he pictured it being a classy, upscale restaurant like this. Vera was certainly not bars and casual clothing. She deserved to be wined and dined with the best. She deserved so much more than she accepted for herself.

“You could at least pretend you want to be here, dear,” Celia Duke commented, sipping from the glass of wine in front of her.

“But I don’t. And they aren’t here yet.” And until they were, he wasn’t going to fake anything. His parents could be as pleased as they wanted for getting him here in the first place but he wasn’t going to do them any favors by playing along with this little charade. He’d done his part by reigning in his temper when he’d found out his father had gone over his head, straight to Vera, to request his weekend be freed up. He’d wanted to scream and yell but really, what would it have accomplished? He’d told them he couldn’t go because of a project and now that project wasn’t an issue. He couldn’t see a way to protest further without getting into topics he’d already declared off limits.

Because his father was one of those people who preferred to arrive everywhere early, they’d been waiting a good thirty minutes before their guests finally appeared. Michael Brown wasn’t much to look at. He was tall and slender, with greying brown hair and glasses. He wasn’t a meek man, though. Hamish could already tell that he viewed himself as far more important than he actually was.

His two daughters trailed behind him, both dressed in identical, elegant black dresses with their brunette hair twisted into an updo. They were both younger than Hamish by several years. If he truly had met them as children, he probably had felt like he was babysitting. They certainly wouldn’t have been equal playmates back then. 

The older of the two girls, Hannah presumably, smiled at him as she approached. And because he’d always been raised to be polite, he stood and pulled back her chair.

“Paul!” the older man greeted enthusiastically, as Hamish pushed in Hannah’s chair and seated himself. “It’s about time we finally managed to arrange something.” Turning to Hamish’s mother, he inclined his head politely. “Celia, it’s wonderful to see you again.” He turned to Hamish and extended a hand. “And you must be Hamish.”

Hamish half stood and returned the handshake. “Yes, sir.”

“Excellent. These are my daughters. Hannah,” he indicted the older girl seated beside Hamish. “And Sophie.”

“It’s nice to meet you all,” Hamish said. “So what brings you to Norwich?”

“Belgrave, actually. Sophie has begun applying to colleges and Belgrave is one of her top choices.”

Hamish leaned forward, suddenly interested. The university could be a good, safe topic of conversation. It was a subject he knew well and it didn’t hurt that focusing his attention on Hannah’s little sister would help to convey his lack of interest. And Sophie was young enough that nobody was going to expect him to be romantically interested in her instead. 

“So have you been enjoying your visit?” he asked the younger girl.

“Oh, yes! The campus is beautiful. We spent most of the day looking around and exploring the town.”

“It is an excellent school. I should know. I’ve been here for ten years,” Hamish joked. It also wouldn’t hurt to add in some truthful, self-deprecating humor. “Do you have an idea of what you’d like to study?”

“Not really. There’s so many classes that interest me. I’m not sure I want to pick a single direction just yet.”

They were interrupted by the arrival of their server but as soon as they’d placed their orders, Hamish turned back to Sophie. “So what made you pick Belgrave?” He could see his mother glaring daggers at him from the corner of his eye. Hannah fidgeted uncomfortably beside him. She was watching him, expecting something from him that he wasn’t willing to give.

Sophie bit her lip and glanced around the room. “Have you ever heard of Belgrave’s secret society?” she stage whispered.

Hamish tensed unperceptively, even as Hannah let out a long suffering sigh. “Really, Sophie?” she chastised. “This again?”

“It’s real! I’ve got a friend who’s told me all about it,” Sophie insisted, sounding a bit like a spoiled child.

“They’re just stories, Soph,” Hannah said softly, trying to talk her down.

Hamish’s father, unfortunately, looked intrigued. “Secret society, you say? Have you heard about this, Hamish?” Paul asked. 

“It’s one of Belgrave’s old legends. A ghost story,” Hamish said, hoping to shut this down before it could get started. 

“A friend of my best friend got in,” Sophie insisted. “Last year. She told her all about it and Margaret’s been telling me.”

“She’s just pulling your leg because she knows how gullible you two are,” Hannah sighed.

The girls’ father shook his head. “I’m sorry. Ever since her friend told her this story, it’s all she wants to talk about. My only consolation is that the universities that supposedly house this secret society are all excellent schools, so whichever one she attends will be worth the tuition, secret society or not.”

Paul chuckled, shaking his head. “No, no. I don’t mind. Old legends can be entertaining.”

Now that she had someone’s attention, Sophie leaned in, eager to spill all the secrets she’d learned. “It’s called the Hermetic Order of the Blue Rose….”

“I’m sorry,” Hannah whispered beside Hamish. Her cheeks were flushed with embarrassment. “Dad overindulges her. He has ever since Mom passed away. She can be a bit of a blabbermouth.”

“It’s fine,” Hamish lied. He was still listening to Sophie carry on across the table. She was eerily accurate in her facts, thus far. It was something he probably needed to report back to Vera. If a member was blabbing about Order secrets, the Grand Magus would want to know. “We all have something we get excited about.”

“And what would your subject be?” she asked.

Shit. He’d opened himself up for that one. He’d been hoping to avoid any sort of personal conversation altogether. “Cocktails,” he decided to say. Hannah had declined any alcoholic beverage upon arrival so hopefully his response would be something uninteresting to her. And as he jumped into a spiel about creating the perfect cocktail, her eyes glazed over in utter boredom. 

It was perfect, really. He could discuss drinks at length, without any real thought. She didn’t ask any questions. And it left him open to eavesdrop on the conversation between Sophie and his parents.  
He was in the middle of explaining what drink he would have chosen to go with each person’s meal when Sophie finally said the one word he’d been hoping not to hear.

“…magic! I know, it sounds unbelievable. But Margaret’s friend sent her a video. She can’t do a whole lot herself yet but she said the Temple Magus, that’s the person in charge, is amazing.”

To his relief, all three parents didn’t appear to believe a word she said. They were nodding along, as if encouraging a young child, but the small smiles were placating at best. Hannah, on the other hand, looked like she wanted to shut her sister up by force, if necessary. That’s when he noticed her fingering the edge of her knife, tracing her thumb across its point just a touch too firmly for the average person but not hard enough to draw blood. Yet.

“Where did you say you want to school again?” he asked, trying to remember where the other Temples in the U.S. were located.

She glanced up sharply, startled, and dropped her knife back on the table. “It’s called Chambers University, in D.C. I decided I wanted to stay close to home.”

“And Sophie’s friend…” he whispered.

Hannah met his eyes full on, understanding. What were the chances he’d be set up with another Order member? Leaning closer, she whispered, “I don’t know which one it is. Her friend, Margaret, is the youngest in her family. She’s got a lot of older friends because of her sisters. Would anyone from Belgrave-”

Hamish snorted a little at the thought of someone daring to gossip with Vera looking over their shoulders. “Definitely not,” Hamish told her. “Chambers?”

“No one that stands out but I don’t think I could say for sure.”

Hamish hmphed. “I’ll talk to the Grand Magus. She’ll want to know someone’s spilling secrets.”

Hannah’s eyes got wide for a moment. “Right! Your Temple Magus is the new Grand Magus, isn’t she?”

Hamish nodded. 

“I’d love to meet her while I’m here,” Hannah gushed.

Hamish just forced a smile. This dinner was not going as he’d assumed. He certainly hadn’t been planning to introduce his blind date to his sort of girlfriend. “If you think the Grand Magus would be okay with that,” she hurried to add.

“I can ask,” Hamish relented.

“Oh, it looks like you two finally found something to talk about,” his mother’s voice suddenly gushed over them, cutting off all streams of conversation.

Hannah glanced at him and shrugged. “Just comparing schools,” she said coolly. “Hamish was telling me about his T.A. job.” Hamish’s brows shot up but Hannah smiled reassuringly. “I was wondering if he approached the professor or if the professor asked him first.”

Paul Duke laughed, waving a hand dismissively. “Oh, the real question is how he ended up working on some project directly for the Chancellor.” Paul looked at Hamish. “You didn’t tell us, what is it you’re working on?”

“Just a history thing. You’d probably find it boring,” Hamish said. It was almost the truth. The answers he was usually looking for were often buried in old books. Not that the Order’s history was ever boring.

“Is it about the werewolves?” Sophie unexpectedly asked.

Her father chuckled. “So there’s werewolves now?”

“Just at Belgrave,” Sophie said seriously. “I heard the Magus keeps them as pets.” She looked at Hamish. “Your Magus is your Chancellor, isn’t it? That’s what I heard about the other schools. The Order controls the school, so the naturally they have to be the same person, right?”

Hamish couldn’t even pretend to be relaxed anymore. Pulling out his phone, he typed out a quick message.

Hamish: One of the Temples has a leak. Youngest daughter knows Order secrets. Hasn’t quit talking all night.

“Hamish, really,” Celia scolded. “Put that away.”

His phone dinged a second later.

Vera: Shit.  
Vera: Where are you?

Hamish: Still at restaurant.

“Hamish!”

Vera: Get them out NOW.  
Vera: Before we have to wipe the entire restaurant.  
Vera: Damn it. We might already have to.  
Vera: Meet at your apartment ASAP. Send address.

Hamish sent it to her and looked up. “I’m sorry but we need to go. Now.”

“What? Hamish, that’s enough. You’re being rude.”

“Chancellor’s orders,” he said firmly.

Sophie’s eyes lit up. Hannah visibly cringed, her eyes falling shut. All three parents scowled.

“Hamish?” his father asked, sounding thoroughly confused.

“The Chancellor wants to talk.”

“I’m right, aren’t I?” Sophie squealed. “About all of it? Or just-”

“Would you shut up, Sophie?” Hannah growled.

Sophie’s mouth snapped shut, caught off guard by her sister’s angry tone.

Hamish just shook his head. He pulled a card out of his wallet and pressed it into Hannah’s hand. “Find the waiter. I’ll wait outside with the others,” he instructed. Hannah nodded and he turned back to the rest of the table. “Outside. Now.” A slight unnatural growl tinted his words. He didn’t bother to hide it.

“Hamish,” Paul called again.

“Out,” Hamish repeated.

His father tried once more when they reached the parking lot but Hamish shushed him with a single look. To their credit, everyone stayed quiet, even if Sophie was staring at him in awe. He waited for Hannah to return before addressing them.

“We’re going back to the apartment.” He turned to Michael. “You can follow us, but don’t try to turn off somewhere and leave.” Hamish looked at his own father. “And I’m driving.” Paul handed over the keys without a word.

As they began splitting off towards their separate cars, Hannah hurried up beside him. “Can I ride with you?” 

Hamish glanced at her and shrugged. “We do have an extra seat,” he agreed.

“Thanks,” she breathed, relieved. “Sophie would be trying to talk my ear off the entire drive. I’d rather not get into why I never said anything when I’m trapped in a car with her.”

Hamish finally felt himself relax a little once everyone was in a car and on the road. If it wasn’t for his father in the passenger seat, staring at him with something that might have been newfound pride, everything might have even felt comfortable. Hannah was in the backseat with his dumbstruck mother, leaning forward to provide the only actual conversation amongst the passengers.

“You’re probably already a magistratus, aren’t you?” she asked curiously. Once he confirmed as much, she nodded. “Same. I assume most grad students are.”

Hamish chuckled to himself. He could think of a couple who weren’t, but then Selena and Angus had brought that on themselves. “What’s the D.C. chapter like?”

“Busy. A lot of politicians are adepti so we get a lot of visitors. It also means we do a lot of big, government related incantations. Temple Magus is always having to find ways to balance the adepti requests and teaching. What about yours? It must be exciting, having the Grand Magus stay on as your Temple Magus? What’s she like?”

Hamish smiled at the thought of Vera. She was so much more than what people saw at first glance. “She’s incredibly smart and driven. She demands a lot from the disciples in her care but she demands the same from herself. She’d do anything to protect the Order. We’re in good hands with her.”

“And is it true? Does she really have a pack of pet werewolves? We’ve all been hearing the rumors. They’ve been going around since the last Grand Magus was removed.”

He barked a laugh. “It’s true that she inducted the wolves, yes. But don’t let any of them hear you calling them her pets.”

“Are they as terrifying as they sound? You don’t think she’s going to bring them tonight, do you?” Her voice was suddenly meek.

Hamish glanced back. Hannah looked cowed by the idea of meeting a wolf face to face. If only she knew… “Yes, the wolves can be powerful and deadly when they need to be. They’re also a bunch of young, reckless idiots. They won’t be a problem for this.” Hannah didn’t look convinced but she tried her best not to look scared. “So tell me more about D.C.,” Hamish said, hoping to get her talking and relaxed.

By the time they pulled into the building’s parking lot, Hamish had a lot more insight into the D.C. Temple and Hannah looked only slightly worried. Michael and Sophia pulled in only seconds behind them, Sophia appearing totally at ease while her father kept shooting her concerned glances. 

They were starting up the steps inside when his father set a hand on his arm. He had been quiet thus far, though not in the shellshocked way his mother had. Paul had always been skilled at being a silent observer, taking in a fuller picture before adding his two cents to the mix. 

“Does your mother need to be here?” his father asked seriously. Paul looked ahead at his wife, leading the group up the staircase towards their floor. Celia Duke had always been a mild woman. A bit peculiar for this world but a gentle spirit who couldn’t watch the news at night or it would give her nightmares. The idea of magic and werewolves being real probably had her jumping out of her own skin.

“No,” Hamish said. “If she doesn’t want to stay, there’s no reason she’d have to.”

“Thank you,” Paul said quietly. He hesitated for a moment, then added, “So it seems you and Hannah have something to talk about now. Any little commonality can lead to a spark.”

Hamish didn’t humor him with a response. He could see himself being friends with Hannah, actually. He still didn’t plan to date her.

“Hamish!”

Tundra recognized they weren’t alone in the apartment before Celia ever froze to mutter her exclamation. Hamish pushed through the crowded entry and smiled when he spotted Jack lounging on the couch while Lilith absently perused a bookshelf nearby. He stepped forward to greet them fondly.

“Jack, Lil. I didn’t realize you were coming.”

Jack shrugged. “We serve at the Grand Magus’s pleasure,” he said sarcastically. His lip quirked good humoredly. “Eh, Vera sent us on ahead. She should be on her way though.”

“I still can’t believe you idiots actually joined up while I was gone,” Lilith grumbled under her breath. It was the same thing she’d been saying since she returned from the Hell realm.

Hamish rolled his eyes and glanced back at Jack. Jack shrugged. “Would you rather have had Gabrielle or Randall come?”

That was a no. Gabrielle and Midnight were still struggling to find a balance and Randall and Vera were rarely a good combination. 

Hamish turned back towards the group assembled in the entryway. “Everyone, this is Jack and Lilith. They're friends in the Order.”

“They’re werewolves, aren’t they?” Hannah asked, eyeing them uncertainly.

“We’re right here,” Lilith grumbled. 

“Ignore her,” Hamish said. “She does have a soft squishy side, if you look for it.” Lilith glared at him. “But yes, they’re two of the Knights. The werewolves. What does Vera want you here for anyways?”

“Hell if I know,” Jack drawled. “She said it was something about a security leak at another Temple?”

“Someone’s been spilling Order secrets. Sophie,” Hamish indicted the younger girl, “knows way more than anyone’s supposed to.”

“And her family?”

“Hannah’s a member of the D.C. chapter, actually. Their father thought she was just telling stories.” Jack’s eyes landed on Hannah suspiciously. “And no, it’s not Hannah.”

Jack shrugged. “If you say so.” He looked back at the others. “You can sit down. We’re not going to bite.”

Slowly, everyone ventured further into the room, putting as much space between themselves and the two unexpected guests as possible. Jack vacated the couch and moved to a single chair on the far side of the room, leaving the couch free for Hannah’s whole family to cram onto together.

Hamish approached his mother while the others got settled. “You don’t have to stay, Mom. You didn’t know anything anyways. You can stay in your room until we’re done, if you want to.”

Celia was quiet for a long time. “No,” she finally whispered. “I need to know who my son is now. You pulled away from me almost a decade ago and this is why, isn’t it?” Hamish hesitated but nodded. This, the werewolves and the Order, were why he hadn’t been able to talk to his parents in years. “Then I’d rather stay.”

“Alright,” Hamish agreed.

Now all they needed to do was wait for Vera to arrive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So as I said, my brain just totally veered off course. But then, in my head, this story was always more about bringing Hamish and his parents back together and less about who his actual date was since we all know it would never work out anyways. Plus the other temples interest me. Especially with Vera being Grand Magus, and yet we haven't seen her have any connection to the other Temples thus far.
> 
> Next chapter, Vera! It's about time Vera and Hamish get to have a scene together. haha. Finally time for so many answers to come out. :D
> 
> I'm still debating who's POV I want the next chapter in....I'm seeing it in either Hamish or his father's pov again. Could go either way right now. Any preferences before I sit down and get too deep into it?


	4. What to Do About Sophie?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gah, so this one took quite a bit longer than the last chapters. I had a couple "days off" that ended up not really being days off after all. Then I started writing this one in Hamish's POV, only to stall part way through and go this isn't working. So it ended up being a bit of a mix of his father's POV and just general 3rd person when I kept losing him, but whatever, I wanted to get it out there whatever way it flowed. Not my favorite part to write but it wouldn't feel right to just skip right over it. This chapter focused on Sophie and the leak so it wasn’t coming out very Vermish heavy anyways and then Hamish kept telling me I was pushing too hard but his father kept raising his hand and saying “I noticed that”. Besides, this idea always started more as a Hamish and his parents fic. And yes, that’s how I write. Lol. I just follow what the little voices tell me to say. :p 
> 
> So we’ll have one more chapter after this one (and that will definitely be Hamish’s to tell) and then that’ll wrap up this idea. Then I’ll probably jump right into writing the next idea.

Paul Duke had questions. He’d tried to listen in on the conversation in the car but it seemed for every answer he got, another dozen questions took its place. The whole situation seemed like one giant prank, except he knew it wasn’t. Despite the distance between them these last years, Paul still knew his son and Hamish had been dead serious when he’d ordered them out of the restaurant. So Paul decided to believe him.

Magic was real. There was some secret society of magicians and apparently their ranks included some very important and powerful people. During all these years when he’d thought of his son as a disappointment and a failure, Hamish had actually been a member of a secret elite organization that held unimaginable power.

But it still didn’t explain why his son was still a student at Belgrave. If other members were working as accomplished lawyers and politicians and actors, why was Hamish still lingering at school? Why had he given up on his dream of being a lawyer? Why hadn’t he stepped forward and made something of himself yet? Just more and more questions.

“So how did you become a werewolf? Were you born that way? Did another werewolf bite you?” Michael’s youngest daughter seemed to be the only person in the room who wasn’t too anxious to ask questions. Sophie was still sitting between her father and sister but more as their attempt to restrain her than from any concern over the two apparent werewolves in the room.

“Uh…” Jack Morton, the undergrad Paul had briefly met the other day, looked uncertain about how to respond.

“Sophie,” Hannah hissed. She eyed the pair warily, the way you might watch an aggressive dog, even when that dog appeared friendly at the moment. “They don’t need to tell you anything.” 

“What? I’m curious. Don’t tell me you’re not. Isn’t the Grand Magus the only one with werewolves? Don’t you want to know more about them?”

The young, dark haired girl rolled her eyes, her lips pulling back into a snarl. “We’re not Vera’s pets,” she growled. They weren’t ordinary members either, Paul recognized. They didn’t seem to share Hamish’s reverence of the woman, nor what seemed to be Hannah’s fearful deference. They were lax in their efforts to remain respectful, as if this Grand Magus person’s authority didn’t mean all that much to them. They worked with her but they didn’t worship her.

“Lilith,” Hamish warned. The corner of his mouth was quirked. He was fond of the aggressive little werewolf. He wasn’t scared of her either.

Lilith huffed and, though the tension in her body never eased, she turned and headed for a chair in the furthest corner of the room. She dropped into it, crossing her arms over her chest.

Hannah was still whispering insistently at her sister, who didn’t seem interested in listening.

“I don’t see what the big deal is, Hannah. You’re overreacting.”

“You don’t know anything, Sophie,” Hannah exclaimed, her voice rising momentarily before she reigned herself back in and continued in a hushed voice. “This isn’t some joke. The Grand Magus, the most powerful person in the entire Order, wants to talk to you herself. She’s brought two of her wolves, creatures made to take down practitioners. What do you think they’d be able to do to you?”

“If it makes you feel better, we usually worry more about dangerous magic than kids who talk to much,” Jack spoke up.

Sophie’s eyes lit up. “Can you-”

“That’s probably enough werewolf talk,” Hamish cut in abruptly. “I should make everyone a drink. Yes?” He strode over to the bar before anyone had a chance to refuse.

The two young werewolves went and stood near one end of the bar to watch him work. Pulling out various bottles, Hamish’s hands flew, mixing an assortment of cocktails with practiced ease. Not for the first time, Paul wondered when Hamish had gotten so knowledgeable. It certainly wasn’t when he’d been an eighteen or nineteen year old boy, the last time Paul and Celia had truly been able to talk to their son about much of anything.

The girl reached for one of the glasses as it was finished but Hamish slapped her hand away. “That one’s for my mother,” he told her. He pushed a second towards her as well. “And my father. Would you mind taking those over?”

Lilith didn’t budge. After a second, Jack grabbed them instead. He approached Paul and Celia slowly and silently with a small, tight smile. Paul took both glasses and attempted not to look nervous at the werewolf’s close proximity. He murmured his thanks and handed Celia her drink as Jack returned to the bar, where another drink was waiting for him.

Hamish looked over at the trio gathered on the couch. “Any preferences or dislikes?”

“Do you have sprite?” Sophia asked.

Hamish pulled a can out of the fridge. “Anything else?”

“I’m good,” Hannah said.

Michael let out a heavy breath. “Just something strong.” Paul couldn’t remember ever seeing Michael look so resigned. He seemed to know and accept that whatever Sophie had gotten herself into with her loose tongue, it wasn’t something he’d be able to help her out of. 

“That I can do.”

Beside him, Celia tossed her drink back as if it were a shot glass. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Hamish watching with a saddened expression. When Hamish reached for the gin, Paul knew he didn’t need to ask. Celia would need something a lot stronger than usual to get through the night.

Hamish had just finished up one more cocktail when Jack suddenly headed for the door. He pulled it open without waiting for the knock and a moment later, the Chancellor strode into the room.   
Paul had been struggling to connect the many pieces of the puzzle that made up Vera Stone. He had met the poised college Chancellor and, other than being surprised that she was younger than expected, he hadn’t thought anything out of the ordinary. Now that he knew there was far more to her than meets the eye, he wasn’t sure what to think. Vera Stone was attractive, as well as a rather petite woman, neither particularly tall nor imposing, but she simultaneously inspired admiration and fear in her followers. Presumably not just the impressionable college-aged children under her care either. She had somehow brought a pack of werewolves to heel, despite the fact that they didn’t seem as enamored by her as all the other magicians. And when Paul glanced up to look at Hamish, his son was struggling not to smile at the sight of her. Yes, Paul Duke did not quite know what to think about this woman.

Hamish stepped out from behind the bar, drink in hand and extended it towards her. Vera stopped in front of him, brow arching slightly.

“A Grand Magus for our Grand Magus,” Hamish said, his tone warm.

Vera took the glass, pressing the large bag she was carrying into Hamish’s hands in exchange. “It’s that bad?” she asked, a history behind the question that no one else would understand.

“I have no idea,” Hamish told her.

Vera sighed and took a sip of her drink. “Just set it down somewhere,” she told Hamish, indicating her bag with a tilt of her head. Then finally, she turned to take in the others in the room.

Sophie was half on her feet already and she rushed forward, holding her hands out in front of her as if she intended to grasp the woman’s hand. “I’m so glad I get to meet you. Belgrave is, like, my top choice.”

“Sit down,” Vera snapped, any trace of friendliness gone from her tone. This wasn’t the college Chancellor here today, reassuring worried parents and encouraging the excited, anxious teenagers leaving home for the first time with carefully crafted speeches. This was the Grand Magus, the woman who’d had Hannah in a bundle of nerves for the last hour, the woman capable of doing things Paul couldn’t even comprehend at the moment.

Sophie seemed to recognize the power behind Vera’s words because she froze in her tracks and slowly took a step back, lowering herself back onto the couch between Hannah and their father.

Vera eyed the girl. There was no hint of a smile there, or even that there ever had been in the past. Her expression was every bit as hard as her name. To her credit, it seemed to be working on Sophie. “I assume this is the one giving away secrets she’s got no business knowing?” She directed the question at Hamish.

“Sophie,” Hamish confirmed. “And this is her father, Michael, and her sister, Hannah. Hannah is a member of the D.C. chapter.”

Vera’s gaze flickered over to Hannah, lingering there for a long moment, before returning to the younger sister. “And I’m presuming you don’t suspect the sister.” She sighed and waved a hand. “Catch me up to speed, please, Mr. Duke.” 

Hamish quickly ran through the events of the night, noting details that had slipped past Paul’s attention before. Vera remained perfectly quiet, her lips pursed slightly in concentration. Through it all, her gaze never left Sophie, studying her intently, and the young girl seemed to slowly sink deeper and deeper into the cushions on the couch. Hannah sat beside her, back straight, eyes lowered respectfully, like some sort of servant.

Michael caught Paul’s gaze and made a confused expression but Paul had even less answers than he did. Michael had been hearing his daughter’s stories for some time, even if he’d dismissed them as make-believe. Paul had never even heard of this organization before tonight. 

It didn’t take Hamish long to finish recounting the events of the night and when he was done, Vera let out a soft, growling sigh. “Ms. Brown,” she called and both girls looked up. Vera gave Hannah an annoyed look and gestured at Sophie. “The one in question, Magistratus,” she said, an edge to her voice.

Hannah’s eyes instantly went wide and her head ducked again. “Yes, Grand Magus,” she murmured.

That was when Paul noticed Hamish roll his eyes, the corner of his lips twitching in amusement. He looked past Hamish to the duo leaning against a wall. The girl looked bored. Jack was shaking his head with a small smirk, arms crossed over his chest. When he looked back at Hannah and Sophie again, both girls still appeared totally cowed. Paul sort of wished Hamish and his friends would share whatever secret kept them from being intimidated by their Grand Magus.

“As I was saying, Ms. Brown,” Vera continued. “I need to know where this information is coming from. Give me a name.”

Sophie’s mouth opened and closed a couple times. “I don’t know,” she finally said. “It’s a friend of one of Margaret’s sisters but I don’t know for sure which one. I’ve never talked to her myself. Margaret tells me.”

Vera let out a frustrated sigh. “Wonderful,” she muttered. “Then tell me what you do know.” When Sophie just stared blankly, Vera’s jaw clenched slightly. “What school does she attend? How long has she been a member? Is she a she at all or could this be a young man spilling our secrets?” Vera asked impatiently.

When Sophie still didn’t offer up any explanations, Hannah glanced at her nervously. “I-” she started to say.

“I’ll get to you in a minute,” the woman snapped. “I need answers, Ms. Brown. And since it would be preferable to have a starting point and you are the nearest source, this will go far easier if you would be honest with me and tell me what you know.”

“I really don’t-” Sophie started to say, her voice high and reedy.

Vera sighed heavily. She turned and pressed her drink into Hamish’s hand before striding over to the oversized bag she’d brought along. She heaved it up onto the bar. “Then we can do this the long way,” she grumbled, pulling a large book from the bag.

Hamish walked over to her, brows furrowed. “What is this?” he asked. One of Hamish’s hands landed on Vera’s hip as he hovered behind her, peering over her shoulder, only to drop abruptly a second later.

“The Order’s membership directory,” Vera was saying, sounding as if she were dreading the task ahead.

Paul glanced around the room but nobody else seemed to have caught the motion. He looked back at his son and his…what? His boss? His mentor? Hamish was still standing behind her, though his hands were now gripped loosely behind his back. Paul blinked a couple times and decided to dismiss it as an accident.

“I didn’t realize we had one of those,” Hamish said.

“It’s not kept in the Reliquary.” She huffed and looked up at the girls. “I will go through every one of the names in this book, if I must. If we are lucky, perhaps one or two will jump out at you. It would probably take most of the night and I. Do. Not. Want. To. Stay. Here. That. Long,” she punctuated with a growl. 

“Why don’t we just go ask the friend?” Jack spoke up. Paul wanted to second that line of questioning. It seemed more conducive to getting results than pressing Sophie for details she didn’t know.

Vera spun on the boy and the look she gave him could have peeled paint from the wall. Not that he seemed bothered. “Because, Mr. Morton, Ms. Brown is here. She is now aware that we consider this a problem. And she has a connection to us that we can use.” She gestured to Hannah as she spoke. “To the best of my knowledge, this friend does not have that, which makes our ability to question her easily somewhat more problematic. And I do try to avoid making a habit of kidnapping seventeen-year-old girls.”

“We’re still gonna have to deal with her though,” Jack pointed out.

Vera made a little flicking motion with her hands. “And that is so much easier when it doesn’t require getting her alone to question first.” She gave him a false smile and abruptly turned back to Sophie. “So please, let us try to narrow this down. When did you first begin hearing these stories?” Vera asked, her sickeningly sweet tone far more threatening than any flat, cold words could have been.

“A-, a year and a half ago?” Sophie said uncertainly, looking at her sister for some sort of confirmation. Hannah just gave her a tight smile.

“Okay, then. We will begin with last year’s initiates,” she said, still using that high, overly cheery tone. She pointed in the general direction of the family, making a quick circle with her finger. “And you all live in the D.C. area? Correct? Your friend as well?”

Another nod.

“And you believe this is coming from someone your friend’s sister knows? How many sisters does she have? And did any of them go off to college last year?”

“Uh, two older ones. Melissa already graduated. But Madeline was two years ago, right?” Sophie asked, looking at Hannah for confirmation.

Hannah nodded. “Madeline would have started two years ago.”

“She can still have younger friends,” Vera responded. One manicured nail trailed down the first page of the book slowly. “Do either of you know which school she attends?”

“I think she’s at NYU,” Hannah said. “Or something in New York. She wouldn’t be in the Order herself.”

“She had a lot of friends though. They could be anywhere,” Sophie offered up.

Vera sighed. “Let’s just see if any names sound familiar,” she relented. She glanced over her shoulder at Hamish. “Take notes, would you?”

To Paul’s surprise, each chapter only inducted a very small handful of new members each year and it finally made sense why Vera was willing to go through every name individually. There just weren’t that many of them. It was probably also why she was looking frustrated when the first half dozen names didn’t ring any bells.

“What about Belgrave?” Sophie asked, her voice still wispier than usual.

As one, all three Belgrave students laughed.

“If anyone here proves to be the leak, I’m letting the wolves eat them,” Vera said, sounding almost amused by the idea.

“We don’t eat people,” Lilith grumbled.

Vera arched a brow at her.

“Okay, but that’s just their hearts,” Lilith relented.

Hamish shrugged. “Jack ate a deer once,” he offered.

Jack leaned forward to slug him. “I’d just turned, jackass.” Hamish caught his punch and reached out to grab for him in return, only for Jack to duck under Hamish’s arm.

Vera Stone rolled her eyes at the antics and slipped past Hamish, out of the boys’ reach. She folded her arms and waited.

“And come on. All of you were the ones who wanted to eat my professor,” Jack continued.

“That was Randall and you know it,” Lilith argued.

“So you wouldn’t have, Kill-ith?” Jack countered.

“Hey! You’re the one that killed him, not me,” she responded.

“It’s like dealing with overgrown puppies,” Vera muttered.

All around the room, faces had gone white as ghosts.

“Enough,” Vera called out, raising her voice. “Can we please get back to work now?” As soon as they had quieted, she returned to her book. “California, it is,” she said, flipping to the next page.

As Vera read off the first name, Hannah finally sat up straight. “That one!”

Vera let out a relieved breath. “You’re sure?”

“I’ve met her more than once when I was at Margaret’s,” Sophie jumped in. 

Vera slammed the book closed. “Excellent. Ms. Bathory, please get the name and address of Ms. Brown’s friend.”

Lilith looked like she wanted to snarl at the older woman but restrained herself, stalking off to find pen and paper. When she returned, she didn’t even need to ask for the information. Sophie rattled it off in one breath, while the werewolf scribbled it down. Lilith tore the page off the notepad and thrust it at Vera.

Vera plucked it from Lilith’s hands and scanned the page. Then she looked up, flicked her hands out in front of her and said, “Dormi.” 

The next moment, Sophie and Michael went limp. Hannah jumped slightly as her sister fell against her. Celia screamed. Paul started to stand.

“It’s a sleep spell,” Vera said, as if it were obvious. “We don’t kill people for minor infractions.” She folded the paper and tucked it into her bag before looking to Hannah next. “Now as for you, Ms. Brown, please, explain to me how the sister of a magistratus has been allowed to spread Order secrets for over a year?” 

Hannah’s eyes closed and she took in a breath, steeling herself. “I tried everything I could think of. I even tried pulveris memoria at first, but a month later, it was like it had never happened and she was all about the Order again.”

“And did you ever think to let your Temple Magus know?” Vera asked.

“I did! Right away,” Hannah insisted. “He said he’d look into it.”

Vera sighed. “D.C.?” She looked over at the duo still standing by the wall. “Ms. Bathory, Mr. Morton, I’m going to send the two of you to clean up this little mess with the friend. The whole family too, most likely. After that, stop by the D.C. chapter and have a little chat with the Temple Magus there. He’ll need to put some people on alert for any stragglers who may have heard the stories around the school, other friends, and such.” She gave a small wry smile that didn’t meet her eyes. “And make certain the Temple Magus understands his priorities in the future.” 

Lilith grinned, a vicious little smile creeping over her. “Our pleasure,” she said, actually sounding happy about something for once.

“Do try to keep him alive, though. The D.C. chapter is the most difficult to find a new Magus for.” She tossed back the remainder of her drink and set it on the counter. “Or at least a reasonably good one,” she muttered. Leaning her back against the front of the bar, she folded her arms and looked to Hannah once more. “So now, Ms. Brown, we need to decide what to do about your family.”

Hannah looked up, her eyes wide and hopeful. “You’re not going to wipe their memories?”

Vera arched a brow. “I am leaving that decision to you, Ms. Brown. The Order does not, technically, have a rule against telling your family. The Order becomes a way of life, more than any other college organization. Believing that members would never tell their closest friends and family is illogical. However, discretion is key. If you want your sister and father to know who and what you are, and you’re prepared to ensure that the secret doesn’t slip out again, then I won’t argue. But they will be your responsibility and yours alone.” There was something unspoken in Vera’s last words, a silent threat that if anyone slipped up again, the Order wouldn’t be so understanding.

Hannah stayed quiet for a long time, staring into her sister and father’s faces. When she looked back up, there was indecision in her eyes. “What did you do? Does your family know?” she asked Vera.

The older woman looked momentarily startled by the question. Then the corner of her lip quirked as one brow rose slightly, but it seemed a poor attempt at masking whatever emotions the question had brought up. “How do you think I became the youngest ever Temple Magus of the Belgrave Chapter and now the youngest Grand Magus? I’ve never had time for the distractions of family.” As light as her tone was, the whole thing sounded almost sad.

“Vera…” Hamish called gently. It seemed he was thinking the same thing.

Vera turned to him, a softness in her look that she hadn’t shown all evening. She gave a small, almost amused huff. “It’s nothing you didn’t already know, Mr. Duke,” she said, her voice almost as soft as his. 

“What about your aunt? The one who-” he cut off abruptly, some secret choking off his words. 

Vera’s tiny smirk grew a fraction at Hamish’s discomfort. “You don’t have to tiptoe around the subject for my sake,” she said. Then her smile fell and her gaze dropped for a moment before she met his eyes again. “And she died. When I was still in college. A car accident. She never knew.”

Hamish’s face was pale. “I’m sorry.”

“I don’t need anyone’s pity, Mr. Duke,” Vera responded. She turned away, straightening up and steeling herself with more inner strength than most people had.

Across the room, Lilith was watching the exchange with interest while Jack appeared ready to sink into the floor to get away from it. Paul watched too, his gaze darting between his son and the Grand Magus. This time, he was sure he wasn’t overthinking things. This wasn’t a slip of the hand that could be explained away. Hamish and Vera knew each other far deeper than any student/mentor relationship. Paul didn’t know what it was that had brought them together, or how deep the connection went, but he wasn’t fool enough to believe there was nothing going on anymore.

For a long minute, it remained quiet, no one daring to break the silence.

“The Order’s a bunch of idiots,” Lilith said abruptly. 

Vera turned on her, rolling her eyes. “Ms. Bathory.”

It was probably the reaction the girl was looking for before she smirked. “What? The Knights don’t tell anyone. It’s better that way.”

“I told my grandfather,” Jack countered.

“And that turned out well, didn’t it?” She shrugged. “Long is the road. Short is the life. The Knights are all the family I need. What’s the point in making everyone worry about you every day? It’s better if they just don’t know. Then when I inevitably get snuffed out by some magic wielding asshole one day, you can just say I was in an accident. Simple.”

Vera sighed. “The Knights and the rest of the Order are not the same. Most in the Order live long, full lives. They marry and have children. The existence of magic is too much to expect anyone to hide for a lifetime.”

As Vera spoke, Paul looked at Hamish. They marry and have children…the words kept echoing in his head. Hamish had been fighting them tooth and nail when they brought up his future. Almost as if…he didn’t expect to have one.

“Hamish…” 

Everyone jumped. It was Celia who’d spoken up. Celia, who’d been quiet as a mouse all evening. Paul hadn’t been sure she’d even been listening. But she didn’t need to ask the question.

Hamish stood there, quiet and somber. And he nodded. Hamish was one of the werewolves.

Celia went quiet again then, sinking back into herself as she struggled to process this new world she lived in. 

Hannah, seeming determined to get out of their hair now that Hamish’s secret was out, quietly spoke up and announced that she’d made a decision. The next few minutes passed in a flurry of motion as Vera retrieved a small pouch from her bag and handed it to Hannah. Then, before either could fully wake, a handful of white dust was blown into their faces and they were out again, this time with Hannah leaning between them, whispering into their ears. When they woke again, they were disoriented and apologizing that they must have fallen asleep. Yawning still, it was Michael who suggested they leave. 

“Maybe we can meet up before we leave tomorrow,” he said. “Hamish could give us an official tour of the campus.”

“Any time,” Hamish said with a nod.

Sophie smiled brightly. “Thank you again, for everything. And thank you for meeting with me, Chancellor Stone.”

Vera Stone plastered on the pleasant, business like smile she’d used that first day Paul had met her. “Of course. We hope to see you attend Belgrave in the fall.”

“I’ve got a few other schools to check out but I’m definitely considering it,” Sophie said.

And then the trio left, waving and calling farewells until the door shut. Vera’s smile dropped instantly.

“Well, that’s one I’m crossing off the short list for Order candidates,” Vera said.

“You’d still let her into Belgrave?” Jack asked.

She made a small, annoyed gesture. “Belgrave is a school, like any other.” Jack made a face but Vera made a shooing motion at him. “Mr. Morton, Ms. Bathory, you are dismissed. I’ll text you details for your trip to D.C. in the morning.”

The pair left, quietly but with copious amounts of eye rolls and skewed faces. The moment the door closed, the sound of arguing voices started up, drifting further down the hall.

Vera huffed, giving another false smile. “Well. I imagine the three of you have a lot to talk about,” she said. “I will gather my things and be out of your hair.”

“I’d rather you stayed,” Paul spoke up, before the woman could get out the door and the opportunity would be lost. 

Vera’s head cocked slightly, her smile tightening. “I don’t believe Mr. Duke here needs any help explaining things. I’m afraid there’s little I could add to the conversation actually. The majority of your son’s time spent with the Knights was outside the Order’s knowledge or control.”

“I’m not asking you as his mentor, or his Grand Magus, or whatever you want to call it. I’m asking to speak to my son’s girlfriend,” Paul said bluntly.

It was the first time he had seen her appear truly stunned. Her face slowly twisted in anger but before she could mouth off whatever it was she was thinking, Hamish spoke up. “Vera, just stay. Please.”

Vera turned to face him. “Your parents. Really,” she said flatly. She still didn’t look happy but it seemed she was going to give in.

He shrugged. “They haven’t seen me show any interest in a woman since Cassie died. I guess I can’t be surprised they’d notice you.”

Vera kept staring at him unhappily. “Then you should practice not looking interested.” She leaned closer and hissed, “Do you understand how pissed the Council would be if they found out? I came this close,” she pinched her fingers closely together, “to losing my job just for bringing you idiots into the Order. What do you expect would happen if they found out about you?”

“This is my parents, not the Council,” Hamish said calmly.

Vera held his gaze another heartbeat before breaking away. “I’m going to need another drink,” she said, heading for one of the empty chairs.

Hamish grinned and headed for the bar. Paul and Celia locked eyes. Whatever secrets the night would bring, it had barely even begun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gah, that was long. And I don't know why some of the indents copy/paste and others don't. Weird. 
> 
> But anyways, just one more chapter to go! Next chapter will be Hamish/his parents, mentions of the Hamish/Cassie story and, of course, Vermish.


	5. Hamish's Story

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gah. 1:30 am and 6000+ words later...we have reached the end! Bit of a warning for those who cried at Blueberry Pancakes, this is Hamish's backstory, which we all know is not going to be a happy one. I'll put my thoughts on it at the end.

“Not a Grand Magus,” Vera called as Hamish began pulling bottles from the shelves.

Hamish laughed. The drink had become a bit of a coded signal over the past months. On particularly difficult days, especially those involving the Council, it was his silent show of support. It was his way of saying that despite it all, she was still their Grand Magus. More often though, it meant the very same thing it had that first time he’d made one for her. It meant he wanted something from her that she wouldn’t be inclined to give.

“I would never,” he teased, putting a hand over his heart dramatically.

“Uh huh,” Vera said, a small smile tugging at her lips.

Vera kept watching Hamish until his father spoke up. “So, Ms.-” He cut off, his voice questioning.

Vera sighed and turned to face the parents. “Vera is fine,” she relented.

“Vera. How long have you and Hamish been seeing each other?”

“Dad!” Hamish interjected, before Vera had the chance to say something along the lines of it’s just sex. While it had started out purely physical, the relationship had come to mean far more to them both than they’d ever expected. He also knew that when Vera was in a mood, she tended to push back against their relationship. Hard. 

“It’s a simple question,” Paul said, holding up his hands. And maybe for him, that was true.

“It’s fine,” Vera assured him. “And it was, what? Early October?”

“Thereabouts,” Hamish said with a smile. He’d wondered what answer she would give. He’d brought her the first of the Grand Magus’s then, only a month into the start of school, but it had been much later before he even started thinking of their relationship as a relationship at all.

“I’m sure your mother would love to hear the story,” Paul said, glancing over at Hamish’s mother. Celia only looked slightly more composed, now that all their guests had gone. She’d always been a romantic at heart though, and she loved a good story.

“That’s a bit tangled in…everything else,” Hamish said as he joined them. Vera reached out for the new glass but he grasped her hand instead, tugging gently as he nodded towards the couch.

“Hamish,” Vera protested weakly. He’d known she would do this. She hated when he showed even the slightest bit of affection where someone might see. She would happily sit in that chair, alone, all night if he let her.

“She’s shy,” Hamish told his parents.

“I’m hardly a shy personality,” she objected.

“You literally threw me across the room when you thought you heard someone coming near the Reliquary,” he pointed out.

Vera looked flustered. “Well, you know how some of these acolytes like to gossip. And I was right, wasn’t I? They came in.”

“I broke a shelf. They heard the crash.”

He squeezed her hand and this time Vera stood, unhappily of course, and followed him to the couch. She kept a hands width between them, posture perfectly straight, but it was still a win. She reached over and took the glass from his hand, downing half of it in one go. Hamish tried not to smile too much, for her sake, as he looked at his parents and shrugged.

“But really, I expect you want to know about more than just Vera,” Hamish said. He’d wanted to say ‘my girlfriend’ but he held back, willing to give Vera that much at least. She disliked the terms ‘boyfriend/girlfriend’, even when they weren’t in reference to her. She insisted it made the relationship sound juvenile, especially the older the couple got. 

Paul sighed. “I was hoping we could ease into that,” he admitted, glancing worriedly at his wife.

Hamish nodded. “I know. But Vera’s the end of this story. The rest of this story began ten years ago.” So much of that story led to him being here with Vera. As much as he wanted to give his mom some sappy love story to coo over, that wasn’t what had happened. They were two broken people, each trying to hold up their respective worlds on their own, who’d been forced together and then bonded over shared loss and heartache. Theirs had never been a happy story.

“Ten years?” Celia asked softly. Ten years, back when they’d still been a happy family, when he’d still been their perfect little boy with a bright future ahead. Hamish looked over at her. His mother looked so sad. It was different than the disappointed looks he’d gotten used to receiving. He’d built up defenses against those looks over the years, knowing he’d never be able to change his parents’ view of him when he couldn’t even tell them the truth of it all. He was trying not to be hopeful about it now.

“It started with Cassie,” he said. He could feel Vera’s eyes on him too now and a moment later, her hand slipped into his. While they both preferred to avoid talking about the great losses of their lives, she knew enough of this story, the same way he knew what had happened to her daughter.

“She was a…” his mom trailed off, unwilling to say the word.

“I didn’t know it at the time,” Hamish confirmed. “That first year, everything was normal. Everything I told you was the truth. I met Cassie my first semester. She was the T.A. for my biology lab that year.”

Vera suddenly gave him a funny look. “Your T.A.?”

“Didn’t I tell you that?” Hamish asked, trying to remember. He’d told her about Cassie, probably more than he’d told anyone. They were similar, in so many ways, even if they were vastly different in how they viewed the world. He knew the few years between them had always bothered Cassie somewhat, even as she teased him, calling herself things like ‘old lady’, ‘sugar mama’ and ‘cougar’. Cassie would have found his relationship with Vera absolutely hysterical. Well, Hamish couldn’t say he didn’t have a type. 

Vera shook her head. He could see she was amused, though he was grateful she didn’t push it. The weight of Cassie’s memory was already starting to push on him, making it hard to find the humor in anything. Vera squeezed his hand, urging him to continue.

Hamish nodded, trying to find the will to keep talking. “I was instantly attracted. I think I spent that whole first semester making a fool of myself. She kept brushing me off. Always laughing. I tried to work up the nerve to ask for her number the last day of class, but after playing it up all semester, I wasn’t ready for a real rejection.

The next semester, I didn’t have her as a T.A. So instead, I kept going back to the biology department and waiting outside the labs until I finally found her. She thought it was funny and sweet and let me take her out for lunch. After that, we were inseparable. If we weren’t together, we were texting. She was good at hiding this secret life she was living. Somehow, I still never got suspicious. I mean, obviously I never would have guessed the truth of it, but I never thought anything was odd at all.”

Hamish looked up at his parents. “I think you even met her once or twice that semester, before things got complicated.” They didn’t respond, not that he’d expected them to. They had never understood what Cassie was to him, even back then. 

Hamish let out a heavy sigh. “Everything changed the following fall. School was starting up again. And Cassie was always running off somewhere, always finding an excuse to leave. The Order, I found out later, had a whole new class of recruits trying out magic for the first time. At the time, I thought she was trying to break up with me. Maybe she was seeing someone else. I didn’t know. I confronted her. Several times, actually. And then one day I followed her. There’s this old abandoned house in the woods near campus. It’s not easy to find, unless you know it’s there.”

“Even I never knew about it,” Vera said softly. “And I’ve spent the better part of twenty years here.”

Hamish gave her a small smile. “Cassie noticed me before I ever made it to the door. She was furious. She tried to make me leave. I think she would have, actually, if we weren’t interrupted.   
His name was Daniel. He was a year or two older than Cassie and he’d been the one to induct her into the Knights. He told her she had to let me try, now that I had found the Den. He told her I wouldn’t stop coming back if she didn’t tell me. He was probably right.

The wolves never come right out and say it, if you don’t already know they exist. Cassie just told me that she and Daniel were part of a secret brotherhood that fought injustice. She knew I was studying pre-law and everything she was saying just struck a chord with me. But she also said that it was a lifelong commitment and it was dangerous. I don’t know if she was trying to convince me to not accept but by then, I already knew I loved her. I knew I’d do anything to be with her. I’d follow her to the ends of the earth if I needed to. So I said yes. She took me down into the basement of the house and that’s where Tundra picked me.”

“Tundra?” Paul asked, sounding confused.

“That’s its name. The werewolf. Tundra, the most cunning of them all,” Hamish said, letting a small, proud smirk tug at him. He may not have become a lawyer like he expected, like his father had wanted, but there was something to be said about being chosen by the one hide who valued intellect above all else.

“So that was it then? When you decided to start pulling away from us? You chose her over me and your father?” Celia asked. She sounded so broken, it hurt. 

“Not at first,” Hamish told her quietly. Back then, he’d never expected things to turn out the way they had. Sometimes he wondered what he’d have chosen, if he’d known. He always pushed those thoughts away. It wouldn’t do any good to dwell on what might have been. He was Tundra’s champion and that would never change in this lifetime. “In the beginning, I thought I could have it all. I was still studying to be a lawyer one day, while helping the Knights keep tabs on members of the Order. It was easy, actually. Being a werewolf seemed amazing. Every sense is heightened. Our strength is amplified. We heal in a fraction of the time it would normally take. I felt invincible. I couldn’t see a downside. Well, other than the risk of wolfing out in the middle of town. But I moved into the Den with Cassie and Daniel and, for a while, everything seemed great.

And then less than six months later, Cassie called me. She was freaking out. Daniel hadn’t come home and he wasn’t answering his phone. By the time I got there, she was just sitting on floor. She wasn’t crying. She just seemed numb. And she told me she’d just checked the lockers. His hide had come home.

By the time we found Daniel, the cops were everywhere. His body was in the middle of the road. He was…it was bad. But the car shouldn’t have killed him,” Hamish said slowly. “We heal too fast from most injuries. We’d always been told it takes magic to bring down a Knight. But at the same time, we can tell when magic is being used nearby. He should have been close enough that we would have sensed when it happened. But nothing. And we never found out what happened.”

“Hamish…” his father called, stopping him before he could go any further. “You’re talking about the Order, when you say magic?” He looked between Hamish and Vera, appearing totally lost.

“Age old enemies, until recently,” Hamish said. He looked at Vera and gave a small, lopsided smirk. 

Vera leaned back against the couch for a moment, giving her own little smirk. “For the record, we didn’t even know you werewolves existed until recently. There were old legends and such in ancient books but…” Her face scrunched up, finishing the rest of her sentence for her. Nobody had believed werewolves were real. Or if they had, they didn’t believe they still existed. She sat forward again, brow furrowing as she thought. “That was…a while ago. I don’t know if I would be able to find out what happened that long ago but I can ask some questions and see what I can find out.”

Hamish thought about it for a minute. “As much as I’d like answers to what happened back then, I’m not sure it would be worth it. The Order and the Knights are finally finding some peace. I don’t know if digging for answers would do anything except for stir up trouble.”

“Okay,” Vera agreed. He was pretty sure it was the answer she’d wanted from him, but she’d had to ask the question anyways. 

“Cassie had warned me this path would be dangerous but it’s hard not to feel invincible when it seems like nothing ordinary can hurt you anymore. Daniel’s death was when things started to change for me. The realization that I could die, that I probably will even, hit me then. 

I remember this one weekend when you were home and I had come over for dinner. You were both puttering around as if everything was just so…normal. Only it wasn’t. And you didn’t even know it. A couple weeks before, Cassie and I had packed up all of Daniel’s things and taken them to this little apartment in town that he rented. His parents were coming to get his things and it wasn’t like we could bring them to the Den. They thought it had just been an accident. A hit and run when he was out for a jog one day. I couldn’t imagine doing that to you one day.”

“And you stopped talking to us,” Celia whispered.

“I didn’t even mean to, at first. It was just that every time you called, I thought of Daniel and his parents and how heartbroken they must have been when they got that call. It was hard to talk when all I had was dying in my head, and it wasn’t even something I could talk to you about.”

“And then Cassie?” his mother asked, beginning to understand.

Hamish shut his eyes. The pressure behind his eyes was building but he didn’t want to cry. Not in front of his parents. Especially not in front of Vera. “Cassie-” his voice crackled slightly and he had to pause. “We were on high alert for months. We didn’t know what had happened to Daniel. We didn’t know if someone had found him out, or if he’d been tracking someone on his own. We didn’t know if it actually had been an accident. Maybe a truck really had struck him just right. Just because we didn’t think it was possible doesn’t mean it isn’t.”

“By the time summer came around, things were getting back to normal. Cassie had started talking about finding some more potential Champions for the hides. She didn’t like that there were only two of us left. We spent the whole summer watching people. She had this whole list of things she was looking for in a person. I didn’t understand at the time, but what she was looking for were the same traits that each of the hides possess. She didn’t find what she was looking for.”

Hamish stopped talking then. They all knew what would be coming next. His parents knew when Cassie had died, even if they’d always thought it was a car accident. Vera knew more.

Hamish looked up when he suddenly felt Vera close the few inches between them and tuck herself into his side. He wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her hair for a moment. Vera may have preferred to fight, to wall herself off and put as much distance between herself and everyone else when times were tough but Hamish was her opposite. He wanted someone to lean on when emotions were high. He didn’t want to just push down his feelings anymore, to dull himself to the pain. It had taken months for Vera to feel comfortable enough to give that to him, even if it was only when they were totally alone. A lifetime of carrying the burden alone made it hard to rely on someone else or let them rely on you, but he appreciated it now.

“You don’t have to tell us. I think we all know what happened that summer,” Vera whispered.

“It wasn’t a car accident,” Celia said.

Hamish shook his head. “No.” Nobody talked. Nobody pushed. They just waited until he found the words. “I was supposed to be home,” he said finally. “I was supposed to be there. Instead I was at school. I was taking some extra classes and I needed to talk to the professor. I don’t even remember what for. I had turned my phone off because he hated when student’s phones went off. It was only supposed to be for a few minutes anyways. But that was all it took.”

“It was a rogue practitioner, Hamish,” Vera said quietly. He’d told her this story before. He’d told her how Cassie had stumbled across the scene. The tall man in the dark robes. The boy dead at his feet, the sacrifice for some horrible spell that was never completed. Cassie had called for backup. That extra ten minutes may as well have been hours when it meant you were too late. Cassie had taken out the magician, but not before he’d gotten her too. The knife he’d used in the ritual with the boy had still been in his robes when she’d leapt for him. Hamish had gotten there in time to say goodbye. He’d been able to tell her he loved her. She hadn’t said it back. She’d been too busy trying to give him instructions that, for years, he would ignore. The worst part had been staging the car accident. After all, the wolves didn’t have the ability to change people’s memories like the Order could.

His parents, thankfully, didn’t ask him to relay the details of how Cassie had died. Maybe they didn’t want to know, now that they knew he could very well follow the same path she did. He’d already outlived her by years.

“When did you decide to drop pre-law?” his father asked. Hamish could have laughed. The topic had been a constant source of disapproval between the two, only serving to further the divide between them. This time though, the question wasn’t laced with the usual disappointment. There was a sympathetic curiosity tinging it instead, an acceptance that there was more to the story than his parents had been aware of. An acceptance that that couldn’t be his path in life anymore.

“At first, I didn’t do anything. I didn’t want to think. I didn’t want to feel. It was too much.” Hamish took in a deep breath. “I loved Cassie more than anything. I was willing to follow her anywhere, into any crazy, stupid mess we got ourselves into. And then we got less than a year. Cassie was gone. I was alone. I was the. only. werewolf,” he said slowly, then let out a bitter laugh. “It was too much for any twenty year old. So at first, I tried to continue on like normal. I went to my classes. I patrolled, alone, every evening. I…probably got a little reckless at times. I was halfway through that semester when I realized what was the point? I was never going to be a lawyer. The other two werewolves I knew didn’t even survive to their mid 20’s. So I dropped pre-law after that semester. I knew I needed to stay at Belgrave though. That’s where the magic scum-, sorry Vera, was, so that’s where I needed to be. I started taking any class that seemed halfway interesting, until I finally found something I wanted to stick with. Our relationship was crumbling but I couldn’t bring myself to try and fix it. I figured I’d be dead in a few years anyways. What was the point? And maybe my death would be a little easier to handle if I was just some screw up who just wanted to play around in college forever.”

“Hamish,” Celia breathed. Tears were streaming down her cheeks. “You could have told us.”

Hamish laughed hoarsely. “Because that would have gone over well. You probably would have stuck me in a mental hospital back then. My girlfriend had just died and then I immediately start talking crazy talk. Besides, even if you did believe me, if I showed you proof, you would have just spent the last years worrying about me every day.”

“We were already worrying,” Celia told him. 

A sad smile tugged one corner of his mouth. “But you weren’t waiting up every night, wondering if I’d made it home. You weren’t waking up every morning, wondering if this would be the day I finally died.”

“We’re your parents. We will always worry if you made it home safely,” Paul said. Paul looked at Vera. “How do you do it? How do you not worry if something will happen?”

“I keep him locked in the Temple with research projects,” Vera said. She wasn’t entirely teasing either. Vera’s reliance on Hamish at her side inside the Temple had grated some nerves amongst the wolves. They didn’t all see it as her way of protecting Hamish but they definitely noticed.

His parents smiled weakly at that.

“She’s also got us using magic now,” Hamish told them. “The Knights are more formidable now. Magic can still hurt us, but we’re not as vulnerable to it as we were before.”

Paul chuckled, though it sounded a little flat. “I take it we should be thankful you met then. Any chance we can get that story next?” he asked, glancing at his wife. 

Celia was wiping her eyes and nodded encouragingly. “Yes, please. Something a bit less tragic would be nice.”

Hamish looked at Vera. Less tragic might have been the best description he could think of for their relationship. Their happy ending in finding each other had been colored by so much grief and struggle that maybe happy would never be the right word. There were days it felt like a consolation prize. A ‘sorry you had to lose the most important person in the world, sorry your life has been utter hell, but here’s someone equally as battered and bruised as you to share it with’ prize. There were other days he wasn’t sure he’d give up his consolation prize, even for a chance at having it all back. He didn’t know what that life would look like and he was far to broken to imagine it. Whatever their past, it had brought them together and Vera was probably the brightest point in his life these days.

“Yeah,” he said. “I was just about to get there anyways.”

It was Vera who noticed that he was trying to skip over something. She leaned away from him, a scowl in place. “Hamish, there are a bunch of years you’re skipping over there.”

Seven, to be exact. “Not important.”

When he didn’t elaborate, she turned to face him, arms crossed, brow arched. Defiant, as always. “Absolutely nothing of interest happened between your first girlfriend dying and meeting your next? I’m so glad to hear I’m dating someone who’s entire life revolves around whoever he’s dating at the time,” she said sarcastically.

Hamish shrugged. “Guess so,” he said.

“So it was just you, sitting alone in that old abandoned house, by yourself, until you stumbled across our dear, dear Mr. Carpio?” she asked, sounding as if she had a few adjectives she would have liked to use for Randall but was restraining herself. Just. 

Only Vera was closer to the mark than she’d expected.

She stared at him, her face falling. “Oh,” she breathed.

“What? What happened?” his mother asked, her voice anxious.

It was the one thing he generally avoided talking about. All those years, carrying the weight of the Knights on his own. He shrugged, trying to pretend it didn’t matter. “Vera’s right. For a long time, I was the only werewolf left.”

“It doesn’t seem that hard to find Champions…” Vera said quietly, questioningly.

Hamish looked away. “I didn’t want to bring anyone else in. I didn’t want to be responsible for their deaths.”

That was the thing. He couldn’t be responsible for them. He was just a kid himself. He hadn’t even been a werewolf for a full year before he was the only one left. How was he supposed to be in charge of the Knights? And he couldn’t just hand the title off to some young, dumb, reckless kid who thought being a werewolf would be fun. So he’d shouldered the burden alone. And he got really good at making cocktails.

“Was-” Vera’s face scrunched in dislike. “- Randall the first?”

There were a few others in the early years, not that he wanted to admit that. They were moments of weakness. Moments when he was so desperate for companionship that he let his convictions drop and he introduced the young, dumb freshman to the hides. Each time, it had been Midnight to come out of his chest. Each time, he’d gotten a couple short months of having a partner and then he was alone again. 

“It took me years to decide to try,” he said. “I was already older than Cassie had been. The Order hadn’t slowed down at all in those years and I realized if I died, then that was it. What were the chances of someone stumbling across the Den and starting up the Knights all over? And if someone did, how could I leave them to do it alone? I, at least, had mentors for a brief time. They would have nothing. So I started watching people.

“I was picky. Maybe too particular, even. But I wanted someone who could handle it. I wanted someone that I knew would do the job, no matter the cost to themselves, because they thought it was the right thing to do. I didn’t want the naïve, stupid kid who didn’t know what he was getting himself into.” Even that had probably been the wrong thing to look for in a Knight. 

“And you got Mr. Carpio,” Vera muttered, rolling her eyes. Hamish allowed himself to chuckle a little. 

“There was one before him.” Four, if he counted the ones from years earlier. “Steven. He was a football player. Played defense. Good guy…but he got Midnight and, well, we don’t call him Cannon Fodder for nothing.” They had learned the hard way. If one of the other Knights wasn’t interested in a person, they would be Midnight’s. And most of Midnight’s Champions lasted only months. “I found Randall a few months after. Randall is-”

“An idiot?” Vera offered helpfully.

Hamish chuckled again. “He’s pre-med. He’s not stupid.”

“Being an idiot doesn’t require a low IQ,” she said.

Hamish looked at his parents, suppressing a grin. “If you can’t tell, Vera doesn’t think much of Randall.”

She sipped her drink, and didn’t refute it.

“Randall likes to crack jokes at the wrong times and generally acts like a fool, but he’s serious about being a Knight and he’s good at it. Maybe a better one than me. I joined because of Cassie. Randall joined because he truly wants to help people.  
There were a couple others too, all Midnight’s. We learned to keep our mouths shut and not let ourselves get attached. Then we’d cheer when one of the other hides picks a Champion. We got Lilith about two years ago. She’s just so damn fierce, it felt right. She, uh, got Timber. Like Cassie had. Jack was a year and a half ago-”

“And didn’t that throw us all for a loop,” Vera muttered.

Hamish looked at her, amused. “Do you want to tell this story?”

Vera waved a hand. Go on.

Hamish told them about Jack, and his involvement with the Order. He told them about Edward Coventry and Jack’s determination to bring the man down and how that had led to the Knights first real, true standoff with the Order in what was probably decades. His mom had started to cry when he told them he’d been stabbed, that he thought he was going to die that day, only to find that the cure had been in those books in the basement all along. He told them about learning about what Edward was trying to do and how they knew they needed to stop him but they weren’t sure how.

“And then I get a text from Jack,” Hamish says, grinning at Vera. “Vera Stone was in our basement and she was going to help us.”

Hamish tried not to laugh when his mom instantly got all gooey eyed. “Was it love at first sight?” she gushed, ever the romantic.

Vera snorted. “Hardly.”

“It was more of a the enemy of my enemy is my friend situation,” Hamish said. “I mean, Vera’s beautiful-”

“Thank you,” she interjected.

Hamish rolled his eyes, smiling. “But I wasn’t looking for someone. And even if I was, it wouldn’t have been someone in the Order.” 

“Same,” Vera agreed. 

“I was impressed though. Vera’s smart, and beautiful, and really strong. I think we made a good team.”

Vera gave a little huff. “Why do you think I brought you into the Order? It wasn’t because of your friends.”

Hamish shrugged. “I thought it was because you saw us fight.”

She arched a brow at him, urging him to think. “I fought beside you, Hamish. Not Ms. Bathory. Not Mr. Carpio. Not Jack Morton. You were the proof of what we could be if I brought the werewolves into the Order.” She gave a little shrug. “If it weren’t for you, I can’t say what I would have done about the werewolves.”

“Killed us all, most likely,” Hamish said. He smiled at her and looked back at his parents. “Instead, she decided to induct us into the Order and the rest is history. Boy meets girl. Boy admires girl. Boy buys his way into girl’s good graces with many, many cocktails over several weeks. And here we are.”

Vera pulled away from him. “Well that’s the simplified, somewhat untrue version.”

“That’s how I remember it.”

Vera picked up her empty glass and swirled it in front of it. “I suppose the cocktail part is true enough. You do make an excellent bartender.”

“That’s wonderful,” Celia declared. 

And that was why Hamish had left out the nitty, gritty details of their relationship. His mother loved love stories and happily ever afters. She didn’t like the dirty, ugly truth of the world. She’d gotten far too much of it already this evening but there’d been no way to mask his history and make it sound sweet or fun or not at all dangerous. She didn’t need to hear that when Hamish had first started bribing his way into Vera’s good graces, it had been with the intention to take down both her and the Order. She didn’t need to know about how they’d gotten caught up in each other during that first spontaneous tryst. The lost clothing and the touches and Vera’s lips on his. After which, he’d met up with the rest of the pack and robbed her blind. His mom didn’t want to hear about the furious threats or the cold push and pull of a woman afraid to let herself care. It hadn’t been an easy road. In many ways, it still wasn’t. But it was what he had. It was what he wanted. That was enough for him these days.

“So Vera, tell us a little bit about yourself,” Celia said. She was perking right up, now that the depressing tales were over. If Hamish knew her at all, she’d already be blocking it all out, the same way she’d blocked out Cassie’s death. She just couldn’t stand to live in a state of unhappiness. 

“What’s there to tell?” Vera said, forcing a smile for their benefit. “My life is pretty straight forward. I’ve always been very driven and I’ve thrown myself into my career since I was, jeesh, ten or eleven? That was when I decided I was getting out of my hometown in Washington state and I don’t think I’ve stopped to breathe since.”

“And no family?” Paul asked. “Friends? Hobbies?”

“I haven’t seen my family since I was a teenager. We had a falling out,” she said. The unhappy expression she wore was sure to prevent any further questions on that matter. “And my whole life is the Order. Between my job as the Grand Magus and my job as Chancellor, I don’t get a lot of time off but I do like to read, when I’ve got a moment.”

“Do you have any plans for a family?” Paul asked.

Hamish cringed. Why hadn’t he seen that coming? It was the very question that had started this whole blind date mess. But he’d thought after everything, after essentially telling them that he probably wouldn’t have a long, full life, they would have given up.

Vera looked amused though. “I’m thirty-seven. I think it’s safe to say that particular path has passed me by.”

“Women are having babies well into their forties these days,” his mom said.

“Mom, please. Stop.”

Celia held up her hands innocently. “I’m just saying. You’re young, Hamish. You may want children some day.”

Hamish groaned. What was the point in even arguing with them? He wasn’t going to have children. Not when there was every chance that he’d be leaving them alone when they were still small. His parents should be happy he’d even found someone he wanted to spend his remaining time with.

For the next hour, they stayed and chatted. Vera had gone into what Hamish thought of as her Chancellor mode, where she was charming and witty and made people feel comfortable and laugh. It seemed it also doubled as a useful ‘meet the parents’ mode and by the time Vera had left, he was fairly sure his parents loved her as much as they’d ever loved anyone and had begged her to come to dinner one evening before they headed off on their next trip. To his surprise, she’d accepted.

\- One week later – 

“Hamish! Excellent. You’re early,” Paul exclaimed as he opened the door.

“Hi, Dad.” Hamish followed him inside. 

“Celia! Hamish is here!” he called over his shoulder. “Is Vera on the way? I was hoping we could talk about-”

Paul’s words cut off as he slumped to the floor in a puff of white powder, Celia having appeared only steps behind him. Hamish rushed forward, managing to catch them both with an arm before they hit the ground.

Hamish let his eyes fall shut for a moment as he knelt there, his parents lying on either side of him. All week he’d worried over the decision of what to do next. All week he’d debated, both alone and with Vera. In the end, it was the only decision he come to. 

“You don’t remember anything about the Order or werewolves,” he said softly. “You set up Hamish on a blind date last week but the dinner was completely normal. Afterwards, Hamish told you that he does have a girlfriend. Her name is Vera. You’re meeting her for the first time tonight.”

Then Hamish rushed to position them both on the couch and sneak back out the door before they woke up. Vera was waiting in the hallway.

“Are you okay?” she asked, giving him a tight smile.

Hamish nodded. “It’ll be easier if they don’t know. Mom’s not strong enough. I can’t let her waste away, waiting for my death.”

It had become obvious in the days after the big reveal that Celia Duke would never be able to accept her son’s fate. She didn’t talk about it again. She didn’t ask questions. But she called him incessantly and God forbid he be busy and miss hearing his phone. Celia would have been trapped in a never-ending panic if she were allowed to remember. Already Hamish was secretly making plans for the day his luck ran out and she would have to learn to accept that he was gone, some way to numb her pain or make her think it was so far in the past it was no longer a constant stabbing pain in her chest. He would talk to Vera about it one day, when she was in a good mood and could handle thoughts of her own daughter.

Hamish knocked on the door. It took a long minute before his father finally opened it, rubbing at his eyes groggily.

“Sorry. We must have fallen asleep. It happens in old age, you know,” he said with a smile. “You must be Ms. Stone. It’s a pleasure to have you. Celia’s been dying to meet the first woman our boy’s brought home in ages.”

Vera laughed lightly, playing along. “It’s Vera, please.”

Later that night, Paul pulled Hamish aside as the couple made their way to the door. 

“I like her,” Paul said, clapping Hamish on the back. “She seems good for you. You look happy.”

“I am,” Hamish said truthfully. He was happier than he’d been in years.

“And if you don’t wait too long, you could probably still get us a grandchild or two. She’s still young enough.”

Hamish choked. Would some things never change?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and so ends the first of these multi-chapter fics. I don’t know why but it just feels right to me that Hamish was alone for a long time before he started building the pack up again. If he was alone so long, it would explain a bit why he turned to alcohol so heavily as a coping mechanism. It would also explain why the wolves slipped under the Order’s radar for so long. I feel like even a few wolves every year fighting magic would have caught someone’s eye before it did, but the Order acted like werewolves were just an old myth or long ago history. Then there’s Cassie. Cassie told Hamish everything he needed to know was in those journals. She knew more about the Knights than he did and I feel like if they’d had years together, she would have made him read a few of those books in that time and he wouldn’t have let the whole thing slip so badly. Plus Thomas Elms has talked about his own theories on Hamish's behaviors and has said there were things in the backstory he was given that haven't made it to the show yet, so that got me thinking what could it possibly be. This just fit right in my head.
> 
> I've got a couple more stories in the works as well. The next one up will be a bit more light hearted than these past ones. It's more of a Vermish goes public story, without any of this dark, heavy history. lol. I need the lighter fic but I dive into the next little plot bunny hole my mind has created.


End file.
